AN: Something I got done on the long train ride to my college. Besides this introductory chapter to whet your appetites, there will be one chapter for Bern and Lambda each. The question behind the story is: "If they have nothing (everything?), what can they give to each other?"

I hope you'll enjoy reading.

"Bern! Bern!"

Bernkastel stared blankly at the hyperactive witch following her. She paused briefly to confirm that whatever had caught Lambdadelta's interest was not worth her attention and then resumed her marching.

"Wait up, Bern! Look at this!"

Bernkastel ignored her friend's cries. Lambdadelta looked torn between staying where she was and following the other witch, but finally dropped the sparkling kakera in her hands and broke into a run.

Bernkastel was not surprised. Not only did she know the other witch well enough to know what to expect from her, she could easily tell at a glance that the probability of Lambdadelta willingly letting them part for more than a few seconds tended to hover at around eight in three hundred and twenty-five. That wasn't close to a miracle, but still highly unlikely.

So whenever she took a step forward, it was as if she was making the decision for them both. That was just as well, Bernkastel thought. Lambdadelta could be dangerously overenthusiastic, stopping at every kakera wherein a person's hard work and powerful will allowed him or her to defeat a formidable obstacle.

Bernkastel pulled them further along because those simple worlds did not deserve their time. It certainly wasn't because she hated seeing Lambda's outraged, then disappointed face when the person they were watching inevitably succumbed to a later trial. Lambda was an exception, after all. There were normally limits to determination, as there was an end to hope.

"Surprise, Bern-chan~!"

Lambdadelta jumped at her from behind in a fierce hug, making her sway dangerously from the impact. From the corner of her eye, Bernkastel saw that the blonde seemed overjoyed to be able to pull off a simple prank like this.

Dangling from the witch of miracles, Lambdadelta shook with merry laughter. She pressed their cheeks together and closed her eyes. Bernkastel glanced sideways at the vivacious weight slowing her down. her own expression was bored, blank. She watched the blond witch from this position and imagined the girl's eyes - the eyes that knew no despair, that held the strength to reject it all. As always when she did this, she felt something deep inside stir at the image in her mind. Bernkastel was this close to the miracle of miracles, the dearest one she was ever to hold.

Before she could be caught, the stoic witch turned her gaze away.

"Bern! A bet!" Lambdadelta came back to life "If I win, you do what I say for a week!"

Bernkastel trudged heavily onward without a word of response, still having to carry both of their weights. Anyway, the bet Lambda wanted would be...

"That man will fall down the slippery stairs and break a leg!" she cried, pointing at a kakera floating by them "The probability is one in seven!"

Lambda craved victory, so she loved contests. Even those she had no chance of actually winning. She was too pure to understand doing your best did not guarantee victory.

Unlike Bernkastel, Lambdadelta couldn't see probability. How could a being whose origin was in the slaughter and recreation of fate possess such an ability? And yet she would not give up, no matter how many times she failed.

Bernkastel glanced at the kakera, her impassive expression never changing one bit.

"Wrong. It's three in twenty-one."

Lambda gasped in surprise and let go of Bernkastel to turn and point an accusing finger at the kakera drifting away.

"Impossible! And I was sooo sure this time! Super-sure!"

Bernkastel stopped to watch the grumbling girl who didn't realize her own win. On a whim, she thought that another correct answer would be two in fourteen...

Maybe this was a sign. Maybe she should put "that" plan into motion. Even she did not know whether she could succeed. but hadn't Lambdadelta just reminded her what tenacity could achieve? Wasn't she the witch of miracles?

Lambdadelta's yelling kept on resounding in the void. Bernkastel, eyes trained on the girl that allowed her hope, clasped her hands and let her eyelids drop.

The teleportation magic she called for formed instantly around her. It swept her away before Lambdadelta could fully realize what was happening and cry out in alarm. In the next instant, Bernkastel was gone, far away from the other witch

How much time would this buy her? A day? A few seconds?

Witch of miracles Bernkastel prays
for the miracle
of not being found by Lambdadelta until an objective of hers is achieved.